UNDER 16s Melrose and Under 18s Peebles Colts were the first winners of this weekend’s Melrose Sevens event, with the youth competitions taking centre stage on Friday, supported by Scottish independent broadband provider and official platinum communications partner for Melrose Sevens, GoFibre.
The under 16s tournament trophy was clinched by Melrose in a highly contested final match against Kelso. As a result of their efforts, the triumphant team were awarded the Drummond Cup.
This was followed by an under 18s tournament beginning in the early evening, which culminated in the final of the Jim Telfer Cup under the floodlights. The under 18s prize of the Jim Telfer Cup was secured by Peebles Colts after beating Selkirk Youth Club in the final.
As part of a three-year partnership designed to support grassroots community rugby, GoFibre also sponsored the family food village throughout the Friday and Saturday, as well as the Ladies in Sport Awards dinner which took place on the Friday evening in the 1883 VIP Pavilion Tent. The celebration of women in grassroots rugby saw numerous female players of community rugby, and those who support them, receive awards for all their efforts in the sport. The dinner was also a discussion of how to expand and increase accessibility of the sport for future generations of young women.
As GoFibre continues to expand its transformative full fibre network and bring it to nearly 22,000 premises throughout the Borders, it was also able to connect Greenyards to full fibre broadband. GoFibre’s upgrade to the clubhouse’s facilities has improved its capacity to host events and helped future-proof it for the next generation of Melrose community rugby. This improved infrastructure even facilitated the arrival of the BBC who captured all the action from the 1883 Centenary Cup.
Supporting the community is important to GoFibre.One of the ways it has been able to do this is through its GoFurther Fund, through which it has supported Scottish Borders-based charity Escape Youth Services with £3,000 of funding.
Neil Conaghan, Chief Executive Officer, GoFibre said: “When we partnered with Melrose Sevens, we did so to create new opportunities and experiences for players and the community rugby that brings the people of Melrose and beyond together. In this second year of our partnership, we say an enormous congratulations to the winners of the under 16s and under 18s tournaments, Melrose and Peebles Colts respectively.
“We will continue to do all that we can to improve lives and enable people and businesses to thrive alongside the roll out of our full fibre technology – to be able to play our part in letting major outlets like the BBC return to the Greenyards is incredible.”
Phil Morris, Tournament Director, Melrose Rugby Football Club said: “I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to GoFibre, our platinum communications sponsor, for their invaluable support. Their support, in particular their sponsorship of the Under 16 and Under 18 Rugby Sevens Tournaments underscores their commitment to fostering the growth of grassroots rugby.
“It’s through partnerships like these that we can ensure the next generation of rugby talent receives the necessary support and opportunities to thrive. GoFibre’s dedication to our event has helped enrich the experience for both the players and spectators. Thank you, GoFibre, for being a champion of grassroots rugby and for helping make the 2024 Melrose Sevens an unforgettable weekend.”
Residents and businesses can buy now or register for updates in the area by visiting gofibre.co.uk/register.
